I
was hoping to not have to write another column about the NRA
this soon, but it appears the millions of NRA members who
believe in the Second Amendment are getting screwed by the
prime protector of their Second Amendment rights yet again.

If
they’re not getting actively screwed, they are certainly getting
passively screwed, and that may be even worse - because you
don’t know it’s happening unless you look.

What
am I talking about?

I’m
talking about the insidious collaboration of notorious enemies
of freedom such as Chuck Schumer and supposed “Second Amendment
supporters” like current NRA board of directors member Larry
Craig (R-ID) and another NRA golden boy John Dingell (D-MI)
on the “Our Lady of Peace Act.” This is a partnership manufactured
in the very depths of anti-freedom hell, and one on which
the NRA is keeping conspicuously silent.

The
“Our Lady of Peace Act” is legislation introduced in the Senate
by infamous anti-gunner Chuck Schumer and the usual band of
anti Second Amendment slime, Ted Kennedy, Blanche Lincoln
and Richard Durbin. But some may be surprised at the Republicans
– supposed protectors of our right to keep and bear arms –
who also signed onto this travesty: Orrin Hatch, Larry Craig,
Lincoln Chafee and John McCain. It shouldn’t be surprising
to those who actually pay close attention to how these particular
“pro-gun” politicians vote, but I’m fairly sure some of you
will be unpleasantly surprised to find out how these Republicans
fared in the ratings
released by Gun Owners of America.

Are you shocked to see seven out of the eight dwarves with
wholly unacceptable ratings from Gun Owners of America? How
about current Board of Directors member Larry Craig? Are you
surprised to see his name as one of the co-sponsors of this
fascist bill?

What
about those, who along with ardent anti-gunner Carolyn McCarthy
co-sponsored the House version of the bill?

McCarthy
is a notorious gun banner who merited an "F-" rating
from Gun
Owners of America for her efforts to destroy
the right to keep and bear arms. Conyers, Bereuter, Stupak,
Shays, Ferguson, Ford, King Norton, Franks, Jackson-Lee and
many others on this shameful list shouldn’t come as a surprise
either.

But
John Dingell? The NRA’s Golden Boy? The former NRA Director?
The same guy who voted in favor of the 1994 “Assault” weapons
ban and then resigned from the Board of Directors the day
after the vote? The same Dingell who received the NRA’s Harlon
B. Carter Award, despite voting for an outright gun BAN? The
same Dingell that coined the term"jack-booted thugs"
when referring to the BATF? THAT Dingell?

Again,
those of us who follow the politics shouldn’t be surprised.
Dingell merited a mere “D” from Gun Owners of America, while
the NRA licked his boots and gave him prizes for being such
a staunch defender of freedom. Dingell and his buddy Larry
Craig, a current NRA Director are co-sponsoring the House
and Senate versions of the “Our Lady of Peace Act” and Sarah
Brady is shouting from the rooftops, gloating and praising
this “bi-partisan” effort to relieve us of our rights.

What
is the “Our Lady of Peace” Act?

It
is legislation meant to strengthen the NICS (National Instant
Criminal Background Check) System. It offers financial incentives
(read: bribes) to states in order for them to automate mental
health records and improve the effectiveness of the background
check system. But this legislation is much more than that.
The system already forces the citizens of the United States
wishing to make a Constitutionally protected purchase to prove
their innocence to the feds to be “allowed” to make said purchase.

This
new bill, S1706
(the Senate version) and HR3237
(the House version) will require the states to turn over a
number of personal and sensitive records for the feds to peruse
before imperiously deciding who merits the right to keep and
bear arms. Mental records will be turned over to the federal
government, tax records could be released as well as any arrests,
regardless of whether or not they led to any prosecution.

But
you already knew about the dark implications of this bill.
It is the same “Our Lady of Peace” Act introduced by Carolyn
McCarthy last year. Little about it has changed. However,
what has changed is its chances of passage.

I
get the NRA-ILA alerts in my email box nightly, and while
the anti-gunners have been screeching from the rooftops about
the bi-partisan cooperation to get this travesty passed, the
NRA has not mentioned it at all, even though Larry Craig,
a current member of the Board of Directors is one of the co-sponsors
of this legislation.

I
have searched the NRA’s website for any mention of the two
“Our Lady of Peace” Act versions. Not a word. Complete silence.
Not a word about Larry Craig’s and John Dingell’s efforts
to further erode our constitutional rights. Not a peep about
the NRA’s support or lack thereof for the “Our Lady of Peace”
Act. I found this curious, since the “Our Lady of Peace” Act
has the potential to create just what the NRA vociferously
opposes – gun owner registration.

And
just as I was about to call the NRA and ask what was up, I
connected the dots.

The
night before I was surprised to read that notorious enemy
of freedom Tom Daschle all of a sudden made his support for
S.659
- "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act"
– public. Daschle signed onto this bill on September 25, allowing
Chris
Cox bragged about it on the NRA-ILA’s website that day.
Newspapers and magazines touted this new development, and
the anti-gun JoinTogether
summarily condemned this bill and asked its misguided, fanatical
followers to call and condemn his betrayal of their treasonous
cause. Daschle’s support for S.659 pretty much cements its
passage. Earlier in the year another infamous Second Amendment
enemy Frank Lautenberg was promising a filibuster to ensure
that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act fails,
trying to ensure its failure by forcing a 60 vote end to debate.

I
was shocked to read of Daschle’s support for S.659. After
all, Daschle is a sworn anti-gunner. It was quite a wonder
to see him sign onto the NRA’s pet legislation – legislation
that the NRA has been promoting and fighting to pass all year.
And yet, on September 25, 2003 Tom Daschle publicly hyped
his support for this bill – one day before Larry Craig – an
NRA director announced he was co-sponsoring the “Our Lady
of Peace Act.”

I’m
not a conspiracy nut, nor do I don a tin foil hat on the weekends,
hoping to prevent government agents from reading my brain
waves, but I gotta tell ya -- the timing of these two surprising
events is more than just coincidental.

While
the anti’s are praising the “Our Lady of Peace Act” as a bi-partisan
effort to reduce crime, something which this misguided step
toward tyranny has absolutely no chance of accomplishing,
the NRA is conspicuously silent on the issue. At the same
time, the NRA is touting the sudden and significant Daschle
support of their pet legislation that was in danger of being
filibustered in the Senate by ardent Second Amendment enemy
Frank Lautenberg.

Here’s
what it looks like to me: It looks like a bribe – a “you scratch
my back, and I’ll scratch yours” scenario to allow both the
anti-gunners and the NRA to claim small victories in their
causes. The NRA finally gets its gun industry protection passed,
claiming its heroic defeat of the evil antis, who are trying
to kill the gun industry by suing it out of existence. And
the anti-Second Amendment zealots like Americans for Gun Safety
Foundation, can now claim victory for “the linchpin behind
the nation's gun laws.”

Never
mind that this act is just another step in the gradual repeal
of our freedoms.

Never
mind that this act poses serious threats to medical privacy
and paints anyone and everyone who has ever sought help from
a mental help professional with the broad brush of potential
felons.

The
NRA is keeping silent on the clearly anti-freedom actions
of one of its directors, and now I realize why. They’re getting
their back scratched with the, what appears now to be, seamless
passage of their pet legislation, and this smells like payback.

So
it appears once again that the NRA is playing politics with
our rights.

It
appears once again that the NRA is betraying gun owners in
order to be able to claim victory for a bill they had been
pushing vigorously for months.

It
would be a loud and rather profound defeat for the NRA to
lose S.659, so it appears they arranged an under the table
deal to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Nickiis a US Army veteran, who spent nearly four years in Frankfurt,
Germany on active duty at the American Forces Network. She
is a former radio DJ and news anchor and a Featured Writer
and Newslinks Director for Keepandbeararms.com. She is also
a former contributing editor to the National Rifle Association's
newest monthly magazine, Women's Outlook and writes occasionally
for the Libertarian Party. She resides in Virginia with her
family. We are also proud to have Nicki as regular contributor
to Armed Females of America.